The 21-year-old was a revelation in his first season as a Premier League footballer.

After scoring twice on his full Manchester United debut at the Stadium of Light in October 2013, he finished the season with 27 league appearances and two more goals.

There was talk during the campaign about whether England might try to enlist the Kosovan-born playmaker (he opted for Belgium instead), and at the end of it he was handed the Red Devils’ No.11 shirt last worn by club legend Ryan Giggs.

Then it all went wrong.

New manager Louis van Gaal seemed lukewarm at best, and a season-long loan at Borussia Dortmund last term was cut short less than halfway through with mutterings about his attitude. On Thursday the head of the Red Devils’ academy, Nicky Butt, questioned the playmaker’s dedication.

Jose Mourinho was happy to loan him out this season, though not sell him.

So Januzaj has returned to the one manager – Moyes – who has been able to bring the best out of him. Sunderland have loaned him for the whole of 2016-17.

“I need to play games to show people what I can do,” said Januzaj, who was also overlooked for Belgium’s Euro 2016 squad.

“In my first year (as a professional) I was playing regularly, so I was happy. Now I’m playing games again and trying to get my fitness back. I’ve already played three games and I should be fine. I need to kick on.

“When you play regularly you have the confidence. I was very confident in my first year because I had a manager (Moyes) pushing me all the time and when you have the confidence you can do anything. Everything comes to you.

“I just need someone who will trust me and give me opportunities to play games.

“Now I’ve played three games and I feel much more confident on the ball. My quality is that I’ve never been scared to take someone on, to risk losing the ball and to ask for the ball. That’s part of my mentality.”

Januzaj’s first 13 Premier League starts for Manchester United came during Moyes’ time in charge at Old Trafford. He has only made 11 more in the subsequent two years.

Butt admitted on Thursday he was not sad to see Paddy McNair and Donald Love sold to Sunderland this summer, but it would have been a different matter had Januzaj left Old Trafford on a permanent basis.

“They’re really good lads and will have a good life, nice houses but they weren’t at the level for United,” Butt said of the raft of academy graduates Mourinho sold in the summer.

“It doesn’t hurt me as much as, say, if Adnan Januzaj went and never came back.

“He’s got the level to play for United and win leagues and Champions Leagues.

“Maybe he’s not been as dedicated, a case of too much too soon, a millionaire now.”

Such question marks over his professionalism have left Januzaj with a point to prove during his season at the Stadium of Light.

“People like to speak a lot about me,” he commented. “A lot of the things people have said about me were wrong. I’m here to show them they were wrong.

“That’s my job, to show them.

“I’ve always been the same boy and I’ve never changed. I’ll always be the same boy I was in my first year and I’ll never change that mentality.

“I’m always hungry to play football. I’ve loved football since I was very young. I started playing when I was four years-old, so that means a lot. I love football.

“I’m here to play my games and prove to people that they were wrong. If I play regularly I can do that.”